By Joel Phiri

Mzimba, February 25, mana: In rural communities across Malawi, the arrival of construction workers on major infrastructure projects often sparks optimism, signs of progress, new opportunities, and the promise of better livelihoods. But for some women, these workers are not just builders of bridges and roads; they are ghosts of heartbreak, symbols of betrayal, and reminders of dreams that never materialized.

Two decades ago, with financial backing from the Japanese government, the Malawian government oversaw the construction of the Bakili Muluzi Bridge in Mangochi. To the thousands who rely on it to reach places like Malindi and Namwela, the bridge is a feat of engineering, a lifeline connecting communities. But for Patuma Hassan (not her real name), a 41-year-old woman from Mangochi, it stands as something else entirely: a painful reminder of a fleeting love that left her with scars both seen and unseen.

Like many large-scale projects, the construction of the bridge brought an influx of workers, men from across Malawi and beyond, including foreign contractors. Their presence reshaped the social landscape, and for some women, it altered their lives forever. Relationships formed in the excitement of new encounters often ended in abandonment, leaving many to grapple with emotional distress, unwanted pregnancies, and the risk of disease.

“I thought it was love,” Hassan recalls. “During the construction, the town was full of men, locals, foreigners, even the Japanese and Chinese contractors. I fell for one of the Japanese workers, believing in promises that never came true.”

Hassan, who currently trades in second-hand clothes business at Mangochi Boma to support herself and her son recollects that the Japanese man used to visit her at her home at Mpondasi where they would chat and make love as all couples do.

“‘The man promised me a good life. I recall him promising to construct a good house for me and give me money to embark on a business so that my livelihood should be improved as he said the grass thatched house was not good enough. He also pledged to give me capital for a small scale business. It’s only later after the bridge’s construction works had finished and he had left that I realised I was pregnant,” she said.

Hassan later gave birth to a baby boy. Struggling to pronounce the father's complex Japanese name, which she had initially wanted to give her son, she turned to her uncle for help. He chose to name the child Jafali.

“It’s a pity the boy now 23 will never know his father. It’s now that I realize the man may have been married wherever he came from that’s the reason he left without even saying goodbye. I was just used,” says Patuma, in regret.

She says while the Bakili Muluzi Bridge gives people hope that it eased their travelling challenges in terms of connecting them to various places, to her the magnificent bridge stands as a bitter reminder of the mental torture she has faced in raising her son single-handedly more so without the support of his father.

“Whenever I see construction workers, especially the men, I can’t help but see them as betrayers. I urge young girls not to be swayed by these strangers working on construction projects in their communities,” she says.

It's not only Patuma from Mangochi who has encountered betrayal at the hands of supposedly lovers working on construction projects.

Erkali Pahuwa (not real name) of Thekelani in Thyolo also says most men working on roads and similar construction projects should be feared by women and girls.

“As for me I have a daughter whose dad was part of the people who worked on the roads here. He was a Malawian but unfortunately I don’t even know his name, I got fooled by material things such as a phone that he bought me at the apex of our union but he left unceremoniously upon the road’s completion,” says Pahuwa.

Cases of men working on construction work flirting with women and young girls in nearby communities and leaving them unceremoniously after completion of projects have been told for ages.

While some construction staff abandon the women they found in communities with babies and pregnancies, some have even left them with diseases such as HIV/Aids and Sexually Transmitted infections.

It is through such unions that haunts Erkali and Patuma to date.

Many women and girls can tell such stories in communities where various projects have taken place.

It’s no strange visiting some districts in Malawi where construction works happened seeing boys and girls resembling some faces associated with some countries. It’s all signs of such relations that once existed.

Now, as communities confront the long-term consequences of these transient relationships, awareness campaigns are being launched by government to educate women and girls about the dangers of engaging with temporary workers. These initiatives aim to protect them from heartbreak, health risks, and shattered futures, ensuring that the hope brought by development projects does not come at such a heavy personal cost.

“This is why, at Ideal Consulting and Business Services, we have been conducting awareness campaigns on HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases in communities where the construction of the M1 Road is underway,” says Derek Chiwanda, the coordinator of Ideal Consulting.

Chiwanda, speaking in an interview in Mzimba after holding an awareness meeting with youths from around Luviri Trading Centre in Traditional Authority Mzikubola said government realised that a lot of scandalous acts happen during construction that involve community members and the workers on projects.

"Construction work involves the migration of people who leave their homes to work in different areas. As a result, we cannot ignore the likelihood of sexual relationships between these workers and local community members. This is why we are conducting awareness meetings on diseases to educate and prepare people," he said.

He added that adults cannot be controlled so there was need to create awareness and warn people in communities that they should not be taken up by strangers who offer money and other goodies as bait as they may not know their statuses in terms of diseases in their bodies so they should be able to resist their advances.

“Some women working on the projects may be coaxing boys while men on the projects may be courting young girls. So, our message is for community members to say NO to such people.

"They should avoid engaging with these workers to protect themselves from infections such as HIV/AIDS, syphilis, and gonorrhea. Saying no is the best way to stay safe," said Chiwanda, whose company has been hired to conduct awareness campaigns along the M1 Road from Jenda Trading Centre to the Mzimba turnoff.

Group Village Headman Zawagumbo acknowledges the circulating stories of construction workers forming romantic relationships with women in the communities where the projects are underway.

“It’s by nature that people would want to be intimate but in these days we are living it becomes risky flirting with strangers. People working on projects are strangers and community members should be fearing them,” he said.

Zawagumbo said awareness messages are key to prevention of various diseases more especially HIA/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections.

“Like in our communities, there are women who are not married who may feel it’s their time to get married to these men working on the M1 Road but they should tread carefully. These are people that may harbour various diseases which they may end up infecting the community members hence this campaign on diseases is very important to keep them aware about the dangers of messing around with strangers,” said the chief.

Chauncy Chirwa, a 24-year-old from Yosefe Village, praised the training, saying it has opened her eyes to the hidden risks posed by people working on construction projects.

“These men indeed propose to us and one may think the time to get settled in marriage is finally here. So this awareness has helped us with knowledge about these strangers on construction works,” she said.

Chiwanda said there are infections and diseases that prowl if people flirt with partners whose bodies they know little about in terms of health status as well as marital status.

"Our job is to educate communities about these diseases and help them stay vigilant in preventing infections from those working on projects like road construction. Our message is simple: avoid these strangers working on the M1 Road if you want to protect your health and future. Many make promises but leave nothing behind except heartbreak and diseases once their work is done," he said.

With these messages now imparted, Chauncy Chirwa and her peers hold their futures in their own hands. They can choose to fall for strangers and risk diseases, or stay away from construction workers and protect themselves from the hardships that Patuma and Erkali endured.